Learn the B Minor Chord on the Piano


Do you know which notes are in the B minor chord? In this article, you will learn three different ways to play this chord on the piano.

What Notes Make up the B minor Chord?

The symbol of the B minor chord is Bm.

The notes of the Bm chord are B – D – F#.

The Bm chord is a triad because it has three notes: root (B), minor third (D), and perfect fifth (F#).

How Can You Play the B minor Chord on the Piano?

Here you can see how to play the notes of the B minor chord on the piano in root position:

Play the B minor Chord on the Piano

You can see that the first note from the left is B (the root), the second note is D (the minor third), and the third note is F# (the perfect fifth).

What is the Root Note of the B minor Chord?

Making the assumption that you are playing the Bm chord in root position the lowest note is B.

How Do You Memorize the Bm Chord?

Here is how to remember the notes of the B minor chord:

  1. Start from the first note of the chord (the root) that for the B minor chord is B.
  2. To find the second note of the chord calculate a minor third from the root (D).
  3. Then to find the third note of the chord calculate the perfect fifth from the root (F#).

This applies if you are playing the B minor chord in root position.

What is the 1st Inversion of the B minor Chord?

The 1st inversion of the Bm chord starts with the note D.

The picture below shows how to play the notes of the B minor chord on the piano in the first inversion:

1st Inversion of the B minor Chord on the piano

In the 1st inversion, you shift the root of the Bm chord (B) one octave up compared to the root position.

The notes of the Bm chord in the 1st inversion are D – F# – B.

How Do You Play the 2nd Inversion of the B minor Chord?

The 2nd inversion of the Bm chord starts with the note F#.

Below you can see how to play the notes of the second inversion of the B minor chord on the piano:

Play the 2nd Inversion of the B minor Chord on the piano

In the 2nd inversion, you also shift the third of the Bm chord (D) up one octave.

The notes of the 2nd inversion of the Bm chord are F# – B – D.

Also, considering that the Bm chord is a triad (it consists of three notes) there is no 3rd inversion because it would be the same as the root position.

What Are Other B Chords?

The following articles show you how to play other B chords:

Claudio Sabato

I'm a passionate pianist and I want to help you learn how to play the piano!

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